Materials used for learning English play a pivotal role in making learners' inter-culturally competent; however, some domestic or national coursebooks for learning English mainly address the domestic or national culture as the criterion. In other words, they try to localize the coursebooks. Thus, controversies might arise. On one hand, we might need to have a clear definition of localization: is it focusing on the domestic culture for learning English or being able to introduce or maintain our own cultural values in intercultural communications via English language? On the other hand, what the consequences of setting the international culture or national culture as the criterion for materials development are.
In my work with students in Asia who are learning English, I find them to be fascinated with American/Western culture. I think that it makes learning more interesting for them, and thus promotes higher motivation.
But maybe this is different at different ages and different skill levels. A student who is learning English in grade school may be considerably different from a student learning in high school or college. I suspect that culture may be of more interest to the older student.
So maybe localism of learning materials works better for young and low-proficiency learners.
Dear Majid Elahi Shirvan,
One of the reasons why languages like Esperanto were not received with open arms by the general population is that such languages do not belong to any people and there is no specific culture behind them. In point of fact, language and culture are closely intertwined and learning a language because of the culture it represents is a great motivating factor. However, some locally prepared L2 materials try to clad the English language with the local culture depriving learners to feel the substantive nature of language containing the bulk of its cultural elements. This wrong notion of material development has been viewed negatively by both EFL teachers and learners. Therefore, the real goal should be to help learners to learn about L2 culture and to help them to realize that various languages have their own cultural elements some or most of which are exclusively different from the learners' L1 in significant ways. Nonetheless, learners' awareness of such cultural elements should not distance them from respecting their own cultural values.
Best regards,
R. Biria
Following and acknowledging Prof Marek's useful insights, I would suggest two approaches in this case. First, try to give your students comparative tasks and activities (L! and L2) based upon learning outcomes and students' level. For example, for Chinese students (How do you celebrate "Chinese New Year"? and for Muslim Arab Students (How do you celebrate Eidul Fitr?). This is for tertiary level students. Similarly there are so many tasks and activities in real-life which can be used in comparative mode. Second, you may try to use a vocabulary building worksheet comprising difficult words, translation in mother tongue, synonyms (3-4 minimum), antonyms and finally sentence making. On top of that you may like to see my postings. I hope it helps!
Cultural competence is the ability to successfully teach students who come from cultures other than our own. It entails developing certain personal and interpersonal awareness and sensitivities, developing certain bodies of cultural knowledge and mastering a set of skills that taken together & underlie effective cross-cultural teaching.
Dear colleague,
The following papers comprise certain hints:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303353560_Teaching_strategies_oriented_on_the_linguistic_modelling_of_intercultural_communications
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303543422_RECENT_REDAGOGICAL_STRATEGIES_DIRECTED_TOWARDS_THE_MAINTENANCE_OF_NATIONAL_IDENTITY
Conference Paper Teaching strategies oriented on the linguistic modelling of ...
Conference Paper RECENT REDAGOGICAL STRATEGIES DIRECTED TOWARDS THE MAINTENAN...
Dear Majid Elahi Shirvan,
The following publication may be of interest to your research.
Article An Analysis of Cultural Vocabulary in ELT textbooks
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